Friday, at the hockey hall of fame in Toronto, was the official launch point of the first Canadian Pro Continental Team SpiderTech. The highly anticipated team coached by Steve Bauer involving a Canadian passion... hockey.
Hockey is our national sport. And, I grew up playing the great game on outdoor rinks and having loads of fun. Bauer also had a hockey background and he believes in the hockey connection. Even, Guillaume Boivin (2010 U23 World Road Race Bronze medallist) & Kevin Lacombe come from serious hockey backgrounds.
There's an impetus here. In Canada, there's some 5000 junior hockey players and a talent pool that's large enough to pull out potential riders for a strong line-up for a Bauer Power squad. I believe it's a good marketing vehicle for the Canadian team with the all important message to grow Canadian cycling. Hockey players are good cyclists, just look at Bauer's credentials. He left junior hockey, in the eighties, for cycling success.
Bauer Power is back, and credit to him for building talent and guiding the team to Continental Pro status. He has 17 riders under contract, 14 Canadian. The big signing is Svein Tuft. He looks comfortable and more relax under the Steve Bauer umbrella and capable of huge success this upcoming season.
The Canadian SpiderTech team will gain experience this year, no doubt, they're off to Europe for the baptism of fire and I predict very good results...
The puck is about to drop!
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